10.12: Bartholomae, Pratt, and Practice essay exam

At the beginning of class we re-negotiated assignments for study guides so we could spend some time consolidating what you learned about "print" literacies before we move on to digital literacies.  (See earlier post).  This means next week will be devoted to checking up on what you have learned so far - and how well you have applied it.


We also walked through the Study Guide Evaluations form.  Using that as "practice" = the Pratt and Bartolomae participants should each complete individual study guide evaluations and email them to me as attachments at the course email.   I will return my grades to you as individuals shortly after receiving evaluations from each member of the group.


We then had quick, overall discussions of Pratt and Bartholomae that focused on key terms, and main ideas.  The Study Guide leaders than led us through some interactive exercises that used writing to help us understand and apply the concepts in the essays.


Practice Essay Exam.  We spent the remaining time talking about how to write an answer for the practice essay question assigned for next week.  A summary of our discussion is below.


To write an answer to the essay question = begin by giving Bartholomae’s explanation for why/how the clay model and the composing music essays on creativity are different

Then give B’s explanation for WHY they are different

Back up your”claims” about wht B says with quote or specific references to his points.

be sure to use "idea-centered" language.

To choose authors suitable for answerin gthe second part of the question= Ask:

What is the author’s main point (summarized below)?

Does dome aspect of this point relate to Bartholomae?

Can any of the author’s points “explain” differences in the two essays?

OVERVIEW OF READINGS SO FAR:
Ong = writing as technology= creates distance

Heath = writing is social – interpreting writing is often in groups – need to think about how writing is used to understand its form

Olson writing is a theoretical model for language
script on the page does NOT provide enough information to create a single, undisputed interpretation

One or many theoretical models for language?

Scribner & Cole  particular features of literacy change particular cognitive abilities= what you practice you get good at

Literacy in and of itself does not change the way we think= but literacies do change particular literate skills

Gee = writing is social practice; learners [can’t] change Discourse late in life; learn new Discourse through apprenticeship;  Discourse is an “identity toolkit”=> involves a lot of unconscious assumptions; there are Dominant and Nondominant discourses

Delpit  learners can learn secondary Discourses & teachers can teach secondary discourses; new Discourses are learned through mentoring, modeling, talk, supportive feedback = apprenticeship

It is important to teach Academic discourse

Bartholomae = students invent the university= create a theoretical model for what Academic discourse expects of them

Pratt = classrooms are contact zones (look at how she defines this term)= arts of the contact zone include= autoethnography, transculturation, parody,. . . .how we make each other aware of our differenct cultural assumptions


For October 19.
EMAIL your practice essay exam to the course email, as an attachment, before class.

We will begin class by working on a self-evaluation for the practice esssay.

We will use remaining time as "meet-up" time for study groups, and for review of any issues you discovered as causing you trouble when you wrote your essays.  Bring your questions and confusions and we will go from there.

Good class today - it is beginning to feel like all these ideas (and the academic language) are starting to take root.